Every old house has its eccentricities, but the 20-foot-wide raised stage and recessed orchestra pit in this suburban living room make other “what-we-found-when-we-pulled up-the-carpet” stories sound lame.
From 1936 until the late 1950s, this house in low-key Lake Bluff was owned by a ravishing opera star named Marion Claire and her conductor-husband, Henry Weber. The glamorous couple installed the quirky living-room theater so they could perform very cozy, very private concerts for friends.
Today, surrounded by the new owner’s 18th Century Italian furniture and art, the stage and orchestra pit stand as silent testament to the glory of a long-gone diva.
Well, maybe not so silent. “My children put on plays every day,” says the current owner of her three children, ages 7 to 11. And although it has been some years since the place hosted scenes from “La Boheme,” the owner reports that a recent dinner party ended with her guests on the stage banging out show tunes on the grand piano.
With its numerous rooflines and storybook turret, it might seem drama was always the operative word at this 1910 house. But when the current owners purchased it in 1999, the only drama it evoked was Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard.”
Luckily, the owners found a decorator as bright and daring as the house itself, Gail Plechaty of Real Simple Design in Old Mill Creek, Ill. She labels her approach “clean serene,” exactly what was needed to calm the offbeat, chaotic space. “But I do like a lot of punch,” she says with a smile.
The homeowner relates, “the first thing Gail said was that we needed to do some major ‘decluttering.'” The color palette would be limited to three colors throughout the house; large, clunky furniture would be banished; and the new kitchen would have the same elegant moldings and simple lines as the rest of the house.
The owners quickly signed on, but there was one glitch: The high cost of the metal casement windows blew the budget. It was the project’s moment of truth: esthetics or pragmatism? No contest.
Owners and designer voted to spend the money on the windows and hold off ordering furniture for six months. “I realized at that point that my house was every bit, or more, important to Gail as it was to me,” says the wife. So when Plechaty recommended that they forgo upper cabinets in the kitchen, the owners simply paused, took a deep breath and agreed.
Plechaty explains that there is just as much space in the four bookend floor-to-ceiling pantries as there would have been in the overhead cabinets. “The best thing about the way it turned out is the aura of openness and light,” she says.
The fabrics and furniture reflect Plechaty’s confident, unconventional savoir faire. She used white fearlessly throughout the house, to an extent some might consider risky in a house with children. What about cranberry juice? What about red wine?
“It’s been spilled,” says the homeowner. “We bleached.” The crisp cotton slipcovers can be thrown directly into the wash. What might appear precious and delicate in Plechaty’s design always turns out to be simple, practical, and tough as nails.
Traversing the house from the dining room with its billowy white curtains, white upholstered antique chairs, and slipcovered white bench, up the stairs to the ethereal master bedroom swathed in white cotton bedding and upholstery, a visitor breathes in the peace of the place.
“It’s a safe refuge to regroup and recalibrate,” the owner says. That is, once you get the guests off the stage.
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RESOURCES
Interior design: Real Simple Design by Gail Plechaty, Old Mill Creek, Ill. Living room: Late 18th Century Italian chairs-Christa’s Antiques, Chicago; chair fabric-Bergamo, Holly Hunt, Merchandise Mart, Chicago; custom cocktail table-Gail Plechaty; light fixtures-Heritage Lighting, Cedarburg, Wis. Family room: Benches-Montauk, Chicago; pillows-Montoya Upholstery, Skokie; pillow fabrics-Holly Hunt; chandelier-Heritage Lighting, Cedarburg, Wis.; black lacquer table-Golden Triangle, Chicago; wooden chair and teak table-San Juan Ventures, Lake Forest; French Directoire-style corner table with black granite top-Thomas Jolly Antiques, Chicago; table lamp-Revival, Chicago; drapery-Designs Alive, Mundelein; drapery fabric-Real Simple Design. Master bathroom: Architect: Danley Horn Architects, Lake Bluff. Bathub, sinks, fixtures-Kallista, Chicago Brass, Highwood; Dennis & Leen chandelier-Holly Hunt; shelf table-Revival; custom drapery-Dezign Sewing, Chicago; Ralph Lauren drapery fabric-Hinson, Mart. Kitchen: Architect: Landmark Development, Lake Forest. Chairs-Modi Antiques, Highwood; upholstery-Fishman’s Fabrics, Chicago; table-Stone Yard, Callard & Osgood, Mart; antique factory lights-Salvage One, Chicago; Dacor stove and Viking hood-Plass Appliance, Highland Park; stools-personal collection; cabinets-Dovetails, Lake Forest.
